Throughout my 11 years at TV Fanatic, many great shows have been canceled, leaving me pondering what might have been.
One show that remains heavily on my mind is the Magnum P.I. reboot.
In today’s world, reboots are a hot commodity, even if many of them crash and burn pretty quickly.
But the Magnum P.I. update, headlined by Jay Hernandez, was a compelling spin on the hit original, and it had millions of viewers to back that up.
It excelled with solid storylines and the slow-burning romance of Magnum (Hernandez) and Higgins (Perdita Weeks), so it got a big reaction when CBS canceled it after four seasons on the mother of all cliffhangers.
An uprising from passionate viewers led to NBC stepping in to save the day with a 20-episode order for Magnum P.I. Season 5, giving the show a new lease of life.
NBC Mishandled Magnum P.I.
I’ve delved into how I feel NBC handled the series, and I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face: Magnum P.I. deserved better.
NBC was like a beacon of hope for the canceled drama.
The network gave us fans the sense that the show would go on, and on, or at least until it reached a natural conclusion.
While it was nice that the network brought the show back, it didn’t exactly get the support many expected.
The series had proven to deliver solid viewership on Fridays, so NBC keeping it on that slot would have been a good way to weaken Magnum P.I.’s former home, CBS.
Instead, it was banished to Sundays, and the ratings flatlined as a result.
NBC did put in a decent amount of effort with marketing the network move, but it didn’t stop to consider that fans were probably set in their ways and that the Friday slot was much better.
Magnum P.I. was always appointment TV viewing after a busy week in my household, and the move to Sundays, with much stiffer competition, didn’t instill hope that it would last very long on the network.
If I had my way, the show would have remained on Fridays, where it would have been allowed to thrive and possibly still be on the air today.
The TV Landscape Has Changed Considerably
Then again, look at the current state of NBC.
The network has recently canceled buzzy dramas Found and The Irrational to make way for more unscripted content next season.
Broadcast TV, as we know it, is changing, and there’s every reason to believe that much of what will be on the air in a few years will have most definitely aired on streaming first.
CBS shipped the likes of Criminal Minds, EVIL, and SEAL Team off to Paramount+, and all lasted for multiple seasons.
Had the network taken a similar approach with Magnum P.I., it may have had a long and happy future on streaming.
Even just from a storytelling standpoint, there was still so much to gain from keeping Magnum P.I. alive.
It’s a real shame that we’ll probably never get to see what comes next for Magnum and everyone in his orbit.
What are your thoughts on the matter, Magnum P.I. Fanatics?
Do you think it’s time for more from the franchise, or do you think it reached a definite endpoint?
Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.
Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.
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